Complex coacervation is a process in which oppositely charged macro-molecules in solution condense into dense liquids. While primarily driven by charge effects or, with DNA, basepairing, other macromolecular traits are likely to have strong effects. This Seed project leverages modern tools of DNA sequence control and biochemistry to study the fundamental physical principles underlying coacervation,

Spin crossover molecules form a vast class of materials for which the magnetic structure can be altered at the atomic level by an external stimulus. Diamagnetic low spin to paramagnetic high spin transitions can be induced by pressure, temperature, illumination with light, or magnetic pulses.

A computational approach was implemented to design Mn2XY tetragonal inverse Heusler alloys that host magnetic antiskyrmions whose stability are sensitive to elastic strain.

The Illinois MRSEC team has demonstrated a new ability to create ultra-soft 2D heterostructures by design. With combined electron microscopy studies and atomistic simulations, they show that systematically incorporating low-friction interfacial layers into 2D stacks tunes the bending stiffness up to several hundred percent.

Structure-mechanics analysis of shark egg cases has revealed that dynamic reorganization of the nanolatticed architecture provides strength and resilience without compromising permeability.

The UCI MRSEC team have developed the first electrically-fueled dissipative system that offers rapid kinetics, directionality, and unprecedented spatiotemporal control, closely mimicking systems found in nature.

The University of Nebraska- Lincoln (UNL), under Nebraska MRSEC’s leadership, held its sixth Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences, WoPhyS, on November 6-8, 2014.

Princeton researchers have demonstrated the physical principles of capillarity, including examples of how capillary forces structure multiphase condensates and remodel biological substrates. As with other mechanisms of intracellular force generation (e.g. molecular motors), capillary forces can influence biological processes. Identifying the biomolecular determinants of condensate capillarity represents an exciting frontier, bridging soft matter physics and cell biology.

Nanocrystal gelation is a strategy to translate exceptional properties inherent to nanoscale building blocks into multiscale architectures and devices. However, available gelation methods are not easily adaptable across broad classes of nanocrystal systems since assembly is strongly reliant on specific surface chemistries.

This work reports the first experimental realization of nanoparticles templated at the interface of liquid crystals into reconfigurable, periodic structures. We establish that nanoparticles can segregate into highly ordered stripes, with tunable organization and thickness, forming the basis for the assembly of patchy colloids and nanowires. Our technique is advantageous over other methods, as the resultant assemblies can dynamically respond to changes within the underlying liquid crystal.